Sports

Barcelona Raise 1.45 bn Euros For Camp Nou Rebuild

Published

3 years ago

April 24, 2023

Barcelona said on Monday they had secured 1.45 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in funding for a redevelopment plan and would start the renovation of the Camp Nou stadium on June 1.

The club said in a statement that the money had come from deals with 20 investors who would receive repayment over periods of between five and 24 years. Barcelona said they would start paying back the loans when the work was completed.

In addition to the football stadium the plan, called ‘Espai Barca’, includes spending on other club facilities. It includes 420m euros earmarked for the Palau Blaugrana, home of the club’s basketball and handball teams, and 20m euros for the Johan Cruyff stadium where the men’s reserve and women’s football teams play.

The club said they expected the work on the Camp Nou to be completed by 2026. The men’s first team will play at the Olympic stadium on Montjuic before returning in the 2024-25 season to a Camp Nou not yet at full capacity.

Barcelona are emulating their main Spanish rivals Real Madrid who began the latest renovation of their Bernabeu Stadium in 2019.

The club is emerging from a financial hole which led to losses of 481 million euros in 2020/21 which led to the departure of the club’s all-time leading scorer Lionel Messi.

Last summer the club raised around 750 million euros by selling 25 percent of their La Liga television rights for the next 25 years and 49 percent of its Barca Studios.

Sports

CRASH: Anthony Joshua Opens Up On Friends’ Death

Published

2 days ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has said the death of his two friends posed a tough time for him.

Recall that a car conveying the boxer earlier this month, rammed into a stationary truck along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The accident claimed that lives of his personal trainer, Kevin Latif Ayodele, and his strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami.

In a post on his verified Facebook page on Thursday, the former heavyweight champion said it was tough for him.

Joshua acknowledged that the incident was “even tougher” for the parents of the deceased.

He wrote, “Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realise how special they are.

“I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men.

“100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents. I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers.”

Sports

NPFL: Kano Pillars Sack Two Players

Published

2 days ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Kano Pillars have announced the departure of the duo of Umar Sani Yakasai Samuel Tiza.

Yakasai and Tiza’s contracts were terminated by the Kano-based club.

The Sai Masu Gida confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday.

“Kano Pillars FC wishes to announce that, following a mutual understanding, the club have amicably parted ways with striker Samuel Tiza and midfielder Umar Sani Yakasai,” Kano Pillars wrote in a statement confirming the players departure.

“Both players will now continue their careers elsewhere ahead of the second stanza of the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League season.”

Kano Pillars is expected to make up for their departure with the signing of new players.

Sports

AFCON: It’s Not Possible – NSC On Super Eagles Players Requesting Cash Payment

Published

2 days ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Shehu Dikko, has insisted that it is not possible to pay the Super Eagles of Nigeria their match bonus in cash.

Dikko stated this while clarifying the situation about Super Eagles match bonuses following reports of players threatening to boycott training and refusing to travel to Marrakech for Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, quarter-final clash against Algeria on Saturday.

He spoke on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

“Clearly, the players requested whether they could get some of these in cash, and they were told it’s not possible,” Dikko said.

“These bonuses are not paid in cash; they have to be paid through the bank, which is the normal procedure.

“The only ones they agreed to pay in cash are the daily allowances.”

The Super Eagles progressed to the last-8 after humiliating Mozambique 4-0 in the AFCON Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finance, Doris Nkiruka-Anite, had earlier disclosed that the Super Eagles players will start receiving their bonus money alerts today or tomorrow before the Algeria clash.